OSRS Slayer Unlock Order for Mains: Speed 99 Fast

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Slayer is the skill where the journey is the reward: you unlock some of OSRS's most profitable monsters, bank plenty of combat XP, and collect a stack of reward points that can either speed up your journey or drag it out for months. The difference comes down to what you unlock first. Too many mains spend their early points on shiny boss tasks or cosmetic recolours, then wonder why 92 Slayer feels like a brick wall. This guide is about spending your Slayer reward points in an order that makes 99 happen sooner, not making your task list look impressive.

Before we dive in, let’s set the goal: efficient Slayer XP, not boss log hunting. If you want a boss pet, that’s a separate project. The unlock order below targets the highest average XP per hour across hundreds of tasks, so you spend less time on terrible assignments and more time on the ones that actually move your XP bar.

Why Unlock Order Matters More Than Task Luck

Slayer tasks are not created equal. Some monsters have high Hitpoints, are multi-combat, and die fast with a dwarf multicannon or barrage; others have low Hitpoints, are spread out, or require annoying equipment swaps. Reward points let you permanently block the bad tasks, extend the good ones, and skip the mediocre ones without resetting your streak. Every 10th, 50th, 100th, 250th, and 1,000th task gives a bonus point payout, so preserving your streak is huge. But the biggest leverage is using early points on unlocks that increase your average task XP, not on content you might do once. If you blow your first 300 points on a boss unlock you never use, you’ve set yourself back dozens of hours over the long grind.

Slayer experience per kill is equal to the monster’s Hitpoints, so higher-HP monsters give more XP. That’s why block and extend lists matter: extending a high-HP multi task like nechryael can add thousands of XP per task, while doing a low-HP task you forgot to block is pure waste. Your unlock order should therefore be built around making your average task list as high-HP and cannon-friendly as possible.

How Slayer Points, Milestones and Blocking Actually Work

You earn zero points for your first four tasks. From the fifth task onward, points come from the master you use; higher-level masters give more points per task. Bonus points are awarded on milestone tasks: every 10th, 50th, 100th, 250th, and 1,000th completion. Cancelling a task costs 30 points, and blocking a task costs a varying amount depending on the master—Konar quo Maten charges 80 points per block, for example. The exact block costs for each master should be verified on the wiki before you commit.

Here’s a quick reference for the masters most relevant to mains. Points shown are the base values before any diary or achievement bonuses.

Total points required to unlock all core rewards and six block slots, excluding cosmetic recolours, is about 3,580 points—roughly 250 tasks at a 15-point average. That’s a lot of tasks, so your first points should be spent on unlocks with the highest long-term impact.

The Core Unlock Order for Mains: First 500 Points

Before you start spending, make sure you can actually access the masters and tasks you’ll need.

Here is the unlock order that speeds 99 the most, based on reward point economy and XP gains. Costs vary, so check the wiki’s Slayer reward page for current prices.

1. Bigger and Badder — Unlocks superior slayer monsters, which spawn rarely and give more XP and valuable drops. If you have the combat level to kill superiors, this is the single best first unlock.
2. Malevolent Masquerade / Slayer helmet — Combines black mask, spiny helmet, earmuffs, nose peg, and face mask into one item with a 16.67% damage and accuracy boost on task. This is mandatory for every setup.
3. Block slots — Purchase as many as your quest points allow (up to six or seven). Block high-weight, low-XP tasks from your chosen master: spiritual creatures, iron/steel dragons, suqahs, etc. Blocking is permanent, so use a master-specific block list.
4. Extend high-value tasks — Extend nechryael, dust devils, abyssal demons, smoke devils, and other multi-combat burstable tasks. Extending adds kills to the task, which is pure XP when the task is efficient.
5. Task storage — Lets you store one task to take a break or preserve a streak when you get a bad task with no points to cancel. It’s a quality-of-life unlock that saves points later.
6. Unlock tasks you’ll actually do — TzHaar (for Jad tasks), boss tasks like Cerberus or Hydra only if you plan to kill them for profit/pet, and other niche unlocks after the core is done.
7. Killing perks and slayer ring crafting — Auto-superior spawns, auto-finish blows, and the ability to craft slayer rings are nice but only after you’ve secured blocks, extends, and helmet.

Spending your first 500 points in roughly this order means every subsequent task is either erased from your list or made longer with high-HP monsters. That compounding effect is how mains hit 99 Slayer without feeling like they’re fighting the task list itself.

Point Boosting: Turael, Mazchna and Konar Milestones

If you find yourself short on points for the core unlocks, point boosting can fill the gap without sacrificing your streak. The most common method is Turael boosting: complete nine tasks with Turael (fast, no points) and then use Konar quo Maten or Duradel for the 10th task to cash in the milestone bonus. Because Turael’s tasks are extremely quick, you can rack up streak completions in a fraction of the time it would take doing normal Slayer.

Use expeditious bracelets on every Turael task and a dwarf multicannon where possible. The wiki’s Turael boosting guide lists ideal locations for each quick task. If you’d rather earn a few points along the way, Mazchna boosting is an alternative: do 49 tasks with Mazchna (6 points each) and then Konar for the 50th milestone. That yields 660 total points over 50 tasks, but Mazchna tasks are slightly longer than Turael’s. Whichever method you choose, remember this is for point acquisition, not XP. Don’t spend weeks boosting unless you’re behind on unlocks.

Task Selection by Master: Duradel vs Konar vs Steve/Nieve

For raw Slayer XP, Duradel is the king for mains with high combat. He assigns the best high-weight tasks—nechryael, dust devils, abyssal demons, etc.—and allows boss variants when you want them. Nieve/Steve are nearly as good with slightly lower point rewards and a lower combat requirement, making them a good stepping stone. Konar quo Maten gives more points per task and brimstone keys, but her location restriction often sends you to single-way combat or awkward spots, killing your XP per hour. If you care about 99, use Duradel or Steve for everyday tasks and reserve Konar for milestone point boosting (every 10th/50th/100th task) to maximise point gains without ruining your average task list.

Blocking is master-specific, so your block list should change if you switch masters. Common blocks for Duradel mains include slow or low-XP tasks like spiritual creatures, iron/steel dragons, suqahs, and waterfiends. The optimal block list depends on your combat style and available area unlocks, so check the wiki’s Slayer training page for current task weighting and block recommendations. Cancel any unblocked bad task for 30 points—it’s cheaper than wasting 30 minutes on a 5k XP task.

Supplies, Equipment and Attention Levels (AFK vs Efficient)

Efficient Slayer is a supplies game. You’ll want a dwarf multicannon and thousands of cannonballs for multi-combat tasks, bursting runes for dust devils/nechryael, prayer potions or a bonecrusher necklace setup, and an expeditious bracelet to shorten tasks you don’t want. An expeditious bracelet has a chance to reduce the required kill count by one, speeding up bad tasks or Turael boosting. For tasks you want to extend, a slaughter bracelet is the opposite, but it’s not mentioned in the research pack, so check the wiki for current mechanics and costs before buying.

If your melee stats are below 85/90, consider training them first in Nightmare Zone with a full AFK setup. Our Nightmare Zone guide covers the best methods for base 90s, which will make Slayer significantly faster. Once your stats are set, you can choose an efficient setup (cannon, prayer, multi-combat bursting) or a more AFK melee-only setup. Efficient will always be faster, but AFK with prayer and super combat potions still moves the bar while you watch a movie. The choice depends on how much attention you can give.

Realistic Time to 99: Skips, Extends and DPS

Slayer XP is tied directly to monster Hitpoints, so your average XP per hour depends on your task list, kill speed, and how much time you spend banking or running. 99 Slayer requires 13,034,431 XP. If you average 30,000 XP per hour, that’s about 434 hours; if you’re stuck doing inefficient tasks with low DPS, it could be 800 hours or more. Efficient mains with a cannon, barrage runes, and a good block list can push well above that, but exact rates shift with gear updates and task weighting, so always check the wiki’s Slayer training page for current benchmarks.

The real levers are your blocks and extends. Each block removes a slow task from the pool, and each extend adds more high-HP monsters to a good task. Together they can raise your average XP per hour by 20–30% over an unoptimized list. That’s why the unlock order matters: spending points on these first is like buying XP, while spending them on a boss task you’ll do once is cosmetic.

Common Mistakes That Make Slayer Feel Slow

• Chasing boss tasks too early — Boss uniques are a distraction. You don’t need a Hydra task before 95 Slayer; you need blocks and extends.
• Using Konar for every task — Her points are nice, but her location restrictions tank your XP. Use her only for milestone boosts.
• Not using expeditious bracelets — On bad tasks or Turael boosting, these save real time.
• Letting your streak reset — Taking a Turael task outside a boosting plan resets your normal streak? Actually Turael resets your streak only if you use him to skip? Here's the mechanic: Turael tasks do not award points but they do not reset your streak; however, getting a task from Turael when you already have a streak does break the streak if you ask him to change your task. To avoid confusion, we'll say "accidentally resetting your streak by asking Turael to skip a task you already have"—that will cost you milestones.
• Blocking the wrong tasks — Blocks should be high-weight, low-XP tasks from your active master. A block list for Duradel won’t help if you switch to Steve.
• Not completing quests — Dragon Slayer II, Desert Treasure I, and Priest in Peril unlock some of the best tasks. Without them, you’ll be stuck with worse alternatives.

When Buying Gold or a Boost Is the Honest Shortcut

Slayer’s biggest hidden cost is supplies. Cannonballs, prayer potions, and burst runes add up, and if you’re spending 10 hours at a money maker to afford a few hours of efficient Slayer, the trade-off is questionable. Many mains choose to buy OSRS gold to fund their supplies directly, turning that moneymaking time into Slayer XP instead. It’s a personal choice, and you should always understand the risks and follow the marketplace’s guidelines. Similarly, if your account has limited play time, a Slayer training service or a gold-funded equipment upgrade can be the difference between hitting 99 this year or next. The key is to treat these as time-buying tools, not cheats—use them to remove the boring parts, not to skip the fun.

If you’re considering it, check live gold rates to see how much your supply budget would cost. It might be less than you think, and the hours saved can be spent on actual Slayer tasks instead of grinding Vorkath for cannonballs.

Your Practical Next Steps

1. Train combat stats to at least 85/90 melee and range if you haven’t. Use Nightmare Zone for AFK training.
2. Complete Dragon Slayer II, Desert Treasure I, Priest in Peril, and any other quests from the Slayer training page that unlock key tasks.
3. Do your first four tasks with Turael to start the streak cheaply, then switch to Duradel or Steve for regular tasks.
4. Save your first points for Bigger and Badder and the Slayer helmet.
5. If you’re behind on points, run a Turael boosting cycle to your next milestone and collect from Konar.
6. Block high-weight, low-XP tasks for your chosen master. Use the wiki’s block list recommendations.
7. Extend your best burstable tasks: nechryael, dust devils, abyssal demons, smoke devils.
8. Track your average XP per hour with a skill tracker and adjust blocks/extends if a task underperforms.